• Explore the role of critical care in an ever-changing health service and how that role fits into the strategic picture of the NHS in the 21st century.
  
• Become a challenging and critical thinking practitioner with a range of transferable skills who can effectively contribute to service enhancement.
  
• Use the best available evidence, contemporary knowledge and high-level clinical decision-making skills to underpin interventions.
  
• Develop confidence, competence and emotional resilience to consistently exercise personal responsibility and professional accountability for decision making and the provision of high-quality safe care.
  
• Study a programme that values prior experiential learning and experience, also taking into account the career development needs of a wide range of healthcare professionals.
  
• Develop inter-professional relationships and learn to work more effectively across professional and organisational boundaries to enhance the care you give.
  
• Flexibly designed programme enabling you to ‘step on and step off’ over a five-year period in response to service need and professional circumstances.
  

• Year 1

• This programme offers the awards of BSc /BSc (Hons), Graduate Certificate and Graduate Diploma.
  
  BSc – to achieve a BSc you will need to earn 80 credits by undertaking four 20 credit core modules.
  
  BSc (Hons) – to achieve a BSc (Hons) you will need to earn 120 credits by undertaking five core modules - four 20 credit modules and one 40 credit module.
  
  If you have previously obtained a health related degree at 2:2 or above are eligible to access the programme via the Graduate Certificate or Graduate Diploma route – please see panel below for further details.
  
  The module ‘HEAD361 – Independent study’ is only a core module for students who wish to achieve the BSc (Hons) Professional Development in Critical Care.
  

  For further information on the modules that make up this programme please visit the BSc (Hons)/ BSc Professional Development modules.
  

  Core modules

  • HEAD327P Applied Physiology in Critical Illness

    This module is designed for health care professionals to provide the underpinning knowledge of anatomy and pathophysiology of critical illness in adults.

  • HEAD328P Advanced Concepts in Critical Care

    This module is designed for healthcare professionals currently working in a critical care environment wishing to critically examine advanced concepts of critical care practice and facilitates exploration and appraisal of the contemporary evidence base. It will provide the opportunity to innovate with a service improvement project and develop advanced clinical competence.

  • HEAD329P Core Concepts in Critical Care

    This module is designed for healthcare professionals who want to critically examine core concepts of critical care practice. It will facilitate exploration and appraisal of the contemporary evidence base, whilst providing opportunity to enhance clinical competence.

  • HEAD360 Understanding Evidence to Inform Clinical Decision Making

    The module is designed to extend students' knowledge around evidence-informed decision making. This will be achieved through students identifying and evaluating a body of research-based evidence relevant to clinical practice.

  • HEAD361 Independent Study

    This module extends knowledge of primary and secondary research and develops critical appraisal skills. Students construct an 8000 word integrative literature review of a practice focused research topic.

Every undergraduate taught course has a detailed programme specification document describing the course aims, the course structure, the teaching and learning methods, the learning outcomes and the rules of assessment.

The following programme specification represents the latest course structure and may be subject to change:

BSc Hons Professional Development in Critical Care pathway specification 6158

To be eligible for the BSc or BSc (Hons) programme you will need to be either a registered health and social care professional or a health and social care worker in possession of previous study at level 5 (foundation degree /diploma of higher education).

If you wish to undertake the graduate certificate and graduate diploma award pathways you must already hold an honours degree at 2:2 or above in a health or health related subject.

You will need to be working in an environment where you can meet the module learning outcomes.

Applicants whose first language is not English must also provide evidence of competence in written and spoken English in accordance with the University’s Admissions Code of Practice - IELTS minimum of 7 in each part.

AP(E)L:
Claims for credit for prior learning, whether certificated or experiential are accepted and will be assessed following University regulations and faculty procedures.

Applications for this programme can usually be made throughout the year. Please check the closing date and apply as early as possible as our programmes are popular.

Apply for this programme

To apply for this programme please contact the Professional Development Unit:

Professional Development Unit
4th floor, Rolle Building
Plymouth University
Drake Circus
Plymouth PL4 8AA

Email: pduadmissions@plymouth.ac.uk

Tel: +44 1752 586951

What happens after I apply?

You will normally receive a decision on your application within four weeks of us receiving your application. You may be asked to provide additional information, to take part in an interview (which in the case if you are an overseas student may be by telephone or video conference) or you will be sent a decision by letter or email.

If you have a disability and would like further information about the support provided by Plymouth University, please visit our Disability Services website.

Support is also available from our International Office if you are an overseas student applying to the University.